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General practice accreditation framework close to reality

In Australian Medicine this week Dr Brian Morton, Chair of the AMA Council of General Practice, writes that over the last 12 months, the AMA has been part of consultations being undertaken by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care on the future of general practice accreditation.

He notes that the AMA has highlighted how the costs of accreditation are a barrier to greater participation, and how these costs could be reduced through a more integrated and streamlined process. He discusses the three key elements of the proposed accreditation scheme, which are: a governance framework to provide national coordination; approval and coordination of accrediting agencies; and the collection of accreditation data and evaluation of outcomes. He also outlines how AMA advocacy during the development of the framework guarded against the potential for greater Government control over accreditation.

Dr Morton says the new accreditation scheme will facilitate the development of resources and support that practices may need, as well as ensure greater consistency in the standards of accrediting agencies and the skills of their surveyors.

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